Wakíŋyaŋ is a Lakota word for "thunder." It also may be a portmanteau word which associates "wahka" ("sacred") and "kinyan" ("wings"). The word is usually translated as "Thunder Spirits", "Thunder Beings," or " Thunder Birds".

Heyoka The heyoka (, also spelled "haokah," "heyokha") is a kind of sacred clown in the culture of the Sioux (Lakota and Dakota people) of the Great Plains of North America. The heyoka is a contrarian, jester, and satirist, who speaks, moves and reacts ...

s, that is contrarians, dream of Wakinyan and can burn cedar (''

Juniperus scopulorum ''Juniperus scopulorum'', the Rocky Mountain juniper, is a species of juniper native to western North America, from southwest Canada to the Great Plains of the United States. Description ''Juniperus scopulorum'' is a small evergreen conifer ...

'') to protect themselves from thunder and lightning, since Wakinyan respects and will not harm that tree.

References

Lakota mythology Lakota culture Thunder gods Lakota words and phrases {{NorthAm-myth-stub